Thatfeller's Finds: October 2007

31.10.07

Mic Abuse

This video was produced by some wacky Germans who (obviously) had too much time on their hands. Nonetheless, it is a remarkable demonstration of the Shure SM58's legendary reliability. It’s also really funny if you’re in the industry!

30.10.07

Spectacularly Played!

I’m not much of a fan of football games on YouTube. This play, however, is wonderful: fifteen laterals in a desperate and determined effort to score. We could learn something from this team.
The announcers are amusing as well: they’re bored until 2/3 of the way through the play, when they finally figure out this is exciting!

Both inside and outside the box

I love it when someone thinks outside the box. This guy is thinking outside the mind!

26.10.07

Color Bunnies

This is a commercial for Sony that's not running in the US, and I thought you'd enjoy it. The stop-motion clay animation is wonderful.

25.10.07

Baby Got Book

This is a hilarious spoof on Sir Mix a Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” but it also stands alone as a fun video clip. It wouldn't be half as funny if he hadn't taken himself so seriously.

23.10.07

Fierce Competitors

Dogs and wolves are natural competitors to bears. Generally they don’t get along. But it happens that when nobody’s looking, they sometimes play together.

This is more what we’d expect:

This, however, would be completely unexpected in the wild.

The Battle at Kruger

This is one of the most amazing battles I’ve ever seen. It’s fascinating! It’s a battle between a pride of lions, a herd of buffalo, and 2 crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park while on safari. It certainly is an illustration of working together.

Here’s what happens when we go it alone; not so pretty. There's a lesson here somewhere.

19.10.07

Bouncy

This is one of the coolest commercials ever! Millions of 'em!

This is the long version:

Like No Other - Watch more amazing videos here

And here's how they did it.

18.10.07

Le Grand Content

Le Grand Content examines the omnipresent Powerpoint-culture in search for its philosophical potential. Intersections and diagrams are assembled to form a grand ‘association-chain-massacre’. which challenges itself to answer all questions of the universe and some more. Of course, it totally fails this assignment, but in its failure it still manages to produce some magical nuance and shades between the great topics death, cable tv, emotions and hamsters.

It also makes me laugh, philosophically of course.

Now for a contrast, here is a discussion of what I'll call, Le Irritating Content:

17.10.07

Superb Prank!

OK, yesterday was kind of serious; we'll lighten up today. Now, I can’t understand a word they’re saying in this sketch (it’s apparently German), but the prank is still very convincing.

16.10.07

A Vision of Students Today

A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

It's really scary if you think about it!

15.10.07

I have ADHD... and I like it

But there is apparently a whole lot of controversy over the diagnosis and treatment, even the existence, of the condition. Since we have a gazillion kids (and a half a gazillion adults) with the condition, it's probably worth having this discussion.

In this clip, psychiatrists attempt to define/defend the diagnosis of ADHD unsuccessfully to a panel of people. The narrator's point is that the disease is a fraud and that the medications are dangerous to children.

And just for balance, here's the take on ADHD from the testimony of one of its practitioners:

13.10.07

Amazing Battle

This is one of the most amazing battles I’ve ever seen. A pride of lions (yes, that's the right word) attacks this buffalo calf. But then it turns weird! And before it's done, it's a real feel-good thing.

It’s amazing!

12.10.07

Homemade hot air balloon

This looks like a great thing to do with kids along the ocean, or the edge of a big honking lake. Sure wouldn't do it in forest fire season.

11.10.07

Buggin me

And as long as we’re dealing with Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny (and a gazillion others), let’s see some Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Mel Blanc, This is Your Life

OK, this is old. And it’s corny, ‘cuz that’s what the show is all about, but it’s a great insight into one of the coolest voices in the world. A thousand voices, actually.

(You can find anything on the Internet.)

an expert voice

One of the coolest expressions of true expertise is when a person in a support role does his or her job so well that they become recognized and credited for the success of a finished product that has had dozens or even hundreds of people working together to produce. A six and a half minute cartoon took 125 people 9 months, and if one stands out, you know you have something special!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mel Blanc:

10.10.07

Surprisingly cool elevators

I don’t think of “cool” when describing elevators, at least not most of the time. There are exceptions, however, and these are some of the best. The first one is in China, the second in New Zealand.

This, of course, is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Oh, wait; that’s not an “of course;” we never see the tower! The view is certainly impressive!

This isn’t exactly an elevator. It’s called a Paternoster, and it does the same thing for an elevator that an escalator does for stairs.

9.10.07

The Wheel of Death

The Wheel of Death is a cool tool for circuses and impressing your date, particularly if it’s you in the wheel. I don’t know if they’re really deadly, but they are pretty cool!

6.10.07

Not for the masses

I grew up in the woods cutting firewood. Some happy memories, actually. I learned to drive when I was 8 or 10 or 12, and I learned to use a chainsaw before I learned to drive. But I never used one like this. Heck, the engine in my truck isn’t this powerful!

5.10.07

Bears in the Woods.

These aren’t your average bears, and “in the woods” in this case means “in a New Jersy backyard.” It surely is good entertainment, though!

4.10.07

Retro Encabulator vs Turbo Encabulator

You already know that I love experts doing their expert things. Here’s an expert, er… of a sort. This is as you are no doubt already aware, complete fabrication: half of his vocabulary is made up, but it’s made up by experts! I'm really impressed!